in 1125, and established the Jin dynasty in its stead. Most historians agree that the coat of arms of Ukraine, the medieval symbol, was not intended to depict a trident, but most likely a stylized falcon. Depictions of a flying falcon with a cross above its head have been found in Old Ladoga, the first seat of Kievan Rurik dynasty, of Scandinavian lineage. For centuries falconry has been a royal sport in Europe. Also known also as the Norwegian falcon, it was considered a royal bird and is mentioned (uk: кречет) in one of the earliest epics of Ruthenia, the 12th century poem The Tale of Igor's Campaign. The gyrfalcon is related to other falcons. Falcons are known to be very susceptible to avian influenza. Therefore, an experiment was done with hybrid gyr-saker falcons, which found that five falcons vaccinated with a commercial H5N2 influenza vaccine survived infection with a highly pathogenic H5N1 strain, whereas five unvaccinated falcons died. Thus, both wild and captive gyrfalcons can be protected from bird flu by vaccination. Notes References Further reading Audubon, John James. "The Iceland or Jer Falcon", Ornithological Biography volume 2 (1834). Another specimen described in volume 4 (1838). Illustration from Birds of America octavo edition, 1840. External links Alaska Falcons – White and Silver Gyrfalcons Gyrfalcon Species Account – Cornell Lab of Ornithology Gyrfalcon stamps at bird-stamps.org Birds of the Arctic Arctic land animals Birds described in 1758 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Holarctic birds Falco (genus) Falconry Symbols of the Northwest Territories